


What to do if the screw turns loose

by HistoriaGloria



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Bullying, Drabble, Gen, High School, Hurt/Comfort, This has been bugging me for so long, au-ish, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 15:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14673701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HistoriaGloria/pseuds/HistoriaGloria
Summary: 'Peter Six had always tried to keep a very clear line between his life at home and his life at school.'He was as normal as he could be, considering his family's reputation. And he nearly made it through without incident.Until something goes wrong at a Steam Powered Giraffe concert.





	What to do if the screw turns loose

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this one has been running around my head for sooo long! Hope you all enjoy it and there will be a new chapter of 'Back in my Atmosphere' up this Friday!
> 
> Disclaimer: I did de-age Peter Six by about ten years so that he could be 17 in 2012, I'm sorry, I just really wanted to write the robot issue being in a concert  
> Disclaimer pt 2: I used female pronouns for Rabbit, I know it isn't really canon but I'm a lot more comfortable using them, so that's what you get.
> 
> SPG belongs to the Bennetts!

Peter Six had always tried to keep a very clear line between his life at home and his life at school. His father had wanted him home-schooled, but his mother was insistent that Walters had enough issues with talking to humans as it was. He needed friends who were not century-old automatons. And she was certainly right about that. Peter appreciated having people who knew him simply as Peter, clever and quiet but always kind to anyone.

His friends at high school didn't know him as Six, heir to the Walter fortune, robot mechanic, constantly exposed to the most advanced AI systems in the world. They didn’t know the The Jon, Rabbit and The Spine; didn’t know that they were as much his family as his father and his mother.

The Jon didn’t really understand why he didn’t talk about school.

He had never had to explain it to The Spine; he had merely smiled when he had tried to and gently said, “This world can be harsh. You play it how you see fit.”

Rabbit he had spoken with for hours on the subject, separating out the differences with her. And the automaton had been a great listener.

School was one place and home was another. And it had been that way until he was 17.

 

* * *

 

He was sat in an English class, listening to his tutor drone on about John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, when his phone rang.

Peter had been very careful to set up his phone. 3 contacts in his phone could override his silencing, QWERTY, his father, and Michael Reed, added when Steam Powered Giraffe really took off. Peter knew that if something went seriously wrong with the automatons, Michael would contact him first.

Tugging it out of his pocket as it began to loudly chirp, he winced; the very name he had just been considering was flashing up on the screen. It was the first week of Steam Powered Giraffe’s biggest gig so far, a long stretch at the famous San Diego Zoo for the summer.

His teacher fixed him with a very cold glare and spoke sharply,

“Phones in my class, Mr Walter? What is so important that it distracts you from my teaching?”

“M-Miss Mackinroe, if I c-could just take this one call, it’s very important-”

“Put it on speaker phone. I’m sure that if it is so important, the rest of us can hear it too.” Peter blanched. “Go on!” He sighed and accepted the call, putting it on speaker. This was more important than his pride.

“Hello, Michael?” The frantic voice of Michael Reed came from the phone’s tinny speakers and in the background, Peter could make out the warm rumble of The Spine’s baritone, though it sounded scared and strained.

“Six, thank god, we’ve got an issue. I’m sorry to call you at school but Rabbit’s had a major malfunction, I'm talking full seizure and it’s caused a flashback.” Peter inhaled sharply.

“Have you stopped the show?”

“Yeah, but Rabbit’s only recognising The Spine an’ The Jon right now and keeps chattering on about Two and Three. She won’t let me get close enough to try and sort the glitch.”

“Rabbit’s stuck in the ‘50s. Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I can. She always could recognise a Walter, dead or alive. Are you guys still at the zoo?”

“Yep, in the back area they’ve made for performers. I’ll send Steve and Sam to meet you at the gate, seen as they’re just freaking Rabbit out in here.” Peter was very aware of the quiet, confused whispering from his class, but he was packing up his bag. Relapses into the past like this could be dangerous for the bots, of course, but also for their human companions. He shuddered at the memory of only a month or so ago, when a small-scale malfunction had left The Spine blinded and terrified that he was back in Vietnam. He’d broken Michael’s nose that day, lashing out in desperate fear and had felt horrifically guilty when his optics had been restored, allowing him to realise where he was.

“I’m on my way, Michael, try to keep them all calm, or they’ll overheat, and we’ll have 3 malfunctions to deal with, not just one.”

“Thanks, Six, see ya soon.” And with that, the mechanic was gone, and Peter stood. The class had gone silent.

“May I be excused? This is a family matter.” He could hear the ice in his own voice, embarrassed at having to discuss his family life here.

His teacher nodded dumbly, and she was blushing, clearly feeling guilty that she had made him go through his. A sharp spike of vindictive pride shot through Peter as headed towards the back of the classroom, giving his best friend Adam a sad nod.

But Adam stood, following him out silently.

“Adam-”

“I’ll drive. San Diego Zoo, right?” And suddenly, Peter felt like he could breathe a little bit. Not even Adam knew about his convoluted home life and here he was, willing to give him a lift to help his odd collection that he called family. Peter just gave him a grateful nod, following him out to the car park. He and Adam had been best friends since 9th grade. They were both slightly awkward, enough to not have friends, but nice enough to have acquaintances. They fit well together but Peter was private. Adam was his friend, but he had never met his family and Peter had never intended him to. Since Adam had learned to drive over the last year, Peter had spent more and more time with him, getting out of the Manor before it completely became his life.

Adam gave him until they had got on to the road before speaking,

“You know I’ve got questions. You don’t have to answer them, but you can if you like. You always were very private.” Peter looked down at his hands and gave a long sigh.

“My family need me right now. This is... Something that I have to sort out. But I’m... I’m frustrated that people heard the phone call. My family had dealt with enough wagging tongues within the first 20 years of living in San Diego, back in the 1800s.” He was bitter, his voice cold. When he was around 12, he had found some of Peter Walter the First's notes, with a sharp, _ignore the damn gossips!_ scrawled in one corner. The Spine had sat him down and told him about how many people had shunned them, because Peter had married his maid, because he had built odd metal people, because they were different. And now, Peter Six felt like he was going to suffer the same kind of gossip.

“Can I ask about the numbers? The guy on the phone called you Six.”

“I’m the sixth person in my family to be called Peter Alexander Walter. Six has been my nickname ever since I was born, and I have never resented it. But at school, it was nice to just be Peter. I had separated school where I was just Peter and home where I was Six so far apart, I had hoped they would never mix.”

Adam gave a little snort.

“Six? What happened to Five, Four, Three, Two and One?” Peter winced and sighed heavily,

“Usually, bad things.” He was reluctant to discuss what little he knew about the people who shared his name. The automatons babbled on about Colonel Peter Walter the First without a second thought, but they rarely mentioned Two, Three or Four. It wasn’t something he really spoke to Wanda or Norman about. He’d asked The Jon about them once and he had merely smiled sadly and said that they missed them, but it wasn’t something they liked to talk about. Once, his father had sat him down and told him that back in the 1950s, the family had lost so much so quickly, it was very hard. He told him that his father had died when he was very young, a year after his grandfather and how Three had become very ill and Four had never returned from space in the 1960s. That was the first time Peter saw his father cry. “We don’t really talk about Two, Three and Four. Five is my father.” Adam flushed, embarrassed about asking.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have joked. What about Peter Walter the First?”

“He was an incredible man, my great-great grandfather, and you’ll get to meet his children when we get to the zoo. He lived a good life, died when he was in his seventies, that kind of thing.” Adam frowned, clearly confused as to why Peter phrased it as the children of his great-great grandfather and not his great grandparents. He was probably also wondering how they could still be alive and at the zoo. However, before he could question further, the turning for San Diego Zoo was in sight and Adam fell quiet in favour of concentrating so they could get to the zoo quickly.

 

As soon as they had parked, Peter was out of the car, hurrying towards the entrance where he could see Steve Negrete and Sam Luke nervously awaiting his arrival.

“Thank god you’re here, Six, it's been terrifying,” muttered the sound engineer, immediately heading back into the zoo with the others in tow.

“How bad are we talking?” asked Peter, staying as close as he could, desperate to see the automatons.

“She’s very confused, can’t work out who we are and keeps apologising to Three about Two and Professor Hottie? I don’t know that much about Walter history.”

“To be perfectly honest, Steve, they don’t talk about them that often. I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t good.” The sound of grinding gears filled the air and Peter winced.

“Adam, stay with Sam and Steve, I don’t want to spook Rabbit anymore than necessary.” Adam opened his mouth to argue but Peter had already hurried off into the performer area. He found Michael, The Spine and The Jon crowding around Rabbit who was jerking rapidly through her glitch.

“- fault, I’m s-s-s-s-soooorry! Don’t, don’t, don’t take me aaaapaaart,” Rabbit was begging as The Spine tried to soothe her.

“It’s okay, Rabbit, no one is going to take you apart, it’s okay.” He glanced up as Peter entered and his shoulders relaxed with a clank. “Peter, oh, thank the makers.” Peter hurried over immediately as Michael wordlessly handed him a pair of electrician’s gloves.

“Hey, Rab, can you tell me which Peter I am?” Peter asked softly as he approached, his hands outstretched in a very placating gesture. The robot jerked roughly but she focused her optics on him.

“S-S-S-Six? But, but, how? Th-th-three was just, I h-have to t-t-t-tell him I’m soooorry!” she wailed. Cautiously, he opened up her chest plate and Rabbit didn’t resist. By the heavy exhale from Michael and the puffs of steam from the other two ‘bots, it had been quite the struggle to get her anywhere near calm enough to sort the glitch. The Jon began to sing, his voice high and sweet, to try and distract Rabbit,

“Here I go again, I’m breaking up, I’m shutting down now. Inside, outside, decommission, wonder if it’s painful…”

The singing did appear to work as Rabbit stopped squirming aside from the ticks that shot through her processors and Peter gave a quick sigh of relief before gesturing Michael over to help. He certainly needed the help from the more practiced mechanic.

 

* * *

 

It took Peter and Michael nearly two hours to repair Rabbit, to calm her down enough to fix the glitch that had caused her relapse into the past. He stepped out, sighing softly, right into the worried gazes of Steve, Sam and Adam.

“She’s fine, it was a usual hang-up, just effected an odd part of her processors.” Sam and Steve sighed in relief as Michael came out to meet them, followed by the heavy, slow movement of the automatons. Peter turned to Adam and smiled reassuringly.

“Hey, Adam, wanna meet my family?” Adam nodded, but Peter could see his nervousness. “Don’t worry, they won’t bite.”

“…Hard!” came Rabbit’s teasing giggle from behind him as she strode out, flanked by her younger brothers. The Spine rolled his photoreceptors.

“Honestly, Rabbit, we’re meant to be making a good impression on Six’s friend.” Peter kept his eyes on Adam, whose jaw was wide open.

“Robots,” he squeaked. Peter bit his lip hard.

“Yes, robots. Steam powered automatons, from the 1890s. This is Rabbit, The Spine and The Jon. They’re musicians.” There was a writhing nervousness in the pit of Peter’s stomach as his best friend stared in mild awe and fear at the robots who had practically raised him. This was why he had tried to keep his ‘normal’ life and his home life apart! Now, Adam would never speak to him again, he had weirded him out-

Adam spoke, “It’s nice to meet you. Um, wow, I never, sorry, I’m just a bit amazed.” Peter’s heart slowed slightly.

“You, you’re not freaked out?”

“I’m a little shocked, I mean, robots! But, they’re your family. A blind man could see how much you care for them, Peter. And that’s good enough for me.”

“I like this one!” Rabbit announced, doffing her coachman’s hat. Michael exchanged a small, but reassuring smile with Peter and The Jon bounded over excitedly.

“You must be a really good friend of Peter’s to come see us; he doesn’t like talking about school, ‘coz that’s all normal and we’re not.” Peter blushed a little.

“You’re just a bit different, Jon.” The gold-plated bot gave a shrug.

“I don’t mind not being normal! It’s more fun.” Adam seemed quite taken aback by the excitable robot but he still hadn’t freaked out and that was fairly good as far as Peter was concerned. Michael was grinning as he moved around to stand with Steve and Sam. The Spine held out a silver-plated hand to Adam.

“I trust you are good to Peter.” There was an edge of firm worry in The Spine’s voice and Peter turned bright pink.

“Spine!” he whined, “He’s my friend.” Adam chuckled and shook The Spine’s hand.

“He’s a great friend, sir, and I would be stupid to treat him as anything else.” The Spine gave a slightly crooked smile and said,

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, come along. We really have kept our fans waiting long enough and we have another set planned.” Peter grinned and asked,

“Can we come?” The Jon bounded over to Michael to cling to him as the bots turned to head back towards the stage.

“Of course, Peter. Adam, get ready to see the 8th and half wonder of the world!” laughed Sam as he readjusted his hat.

“I hated that branding in the 1890s and I still hate it now,” grumbled The Spine but Rabbit just laughed at him, holding gently on to her younger brother’s arm.

“Aww, Spiiiney.” Peter gave Adam a quick grin and was happy to see that he was smiling right back at him. This was going better than he thought it would.

* * *

  

School the next day was hard. Peter was so glad that Adam had understood. He had loved the set, the teasing of the automatons and the music that they had produced. When Adam had turned to set off home, later, he had paused and told Peter that he shouldn’t have been afraid to share this with him; that his family were fantastic. Peter had laughed, and Rabbit had invited him over for dinner next week. Peter had been so caught up with acceptance that he had forgotten that not everyone was as nice as his friend. The bus ride was usual; Peter sat with his earphones in, reading the notes his father had made on how to deal with core malfunctions, and everyone left him alone. But that changed almost as soon as Peter stepped into school. His ears burned as people whispered behind him whilst he headed to his form room. Gossip, he knew, spread like wild-fire and there were enough gossips in his English class who had heard his panicked phone call with Michael Reed.

“Hey, Six!” someone shouted and Peter turned on instinct. Stood guffawing at him was a group of jocks and Peter felt his cheeks blaze with embarrassment. He turned away and skittered towards his form room. But it was clearly not going to be his day as his tutor caught him outside.

“Peter! I heard that there was an issue in your English class yesterday.”

“I had to deal with a family issue,” Peter said, icily. “It was nothing to be concerned about.”

“You left school,” pointed out his tutor and Peter rolled his eyes.

“I’m seventeen and there was a family emergency that I had to deal with or it could have become dangerous.” But his tutor continued to press,

“Could your parents not deal with it?” Peter’s scowl only darkened.

“My father is not strong enough to fix a complex mechanical problem anymore and my mother is a wonderful woman, but she’s not a mechanic. The problem was mine to deal with.” Before his tutor could speak again, Adam came over.

“Hey, Petes, how’s everything with your family after yesterday?” Peter wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve such a good friend.

“All good, everything is going okay again.” Adam grinned and settled beside him, leant on the wall.

“Good, I’m glad. It was really great to meet them.” His tutor huffed and turned away, letting Peter relax. He knew that Adam should have been chewed out as well, but he was always the teachers' favourite. He was clever and kind, but not too clever, like Peter.

“God, I didn’t realise how fast gossip spreads. Some idiots called me Six on the way in and I actually turned!”

“Peter, that has also been your name for 17 years; you can’t blame yourself for that.” Peter huffed and ran a hand through his messy hair.

“I liked it better when nobody knew who I was. It was easier, I was comfortable. But this halfway thing is so odd. They know nothing of my family, of my home life and yet they think they do!” Peter could hear himself getting more and more worked up, his voice raising and his left hand shaking. It was so unlike him to be angry like this. He got frustrated, yes, like anyone else, but it was mainly at experiments he was conducting, not at people.

“I’ve been so careful, Adam! I’ve not argued with history teachers about Vietnam or the Second World War, despite the fact that my family had seen both; I’ve ignored it when science teachers were just so wrong with theories which I know because my family disproved them and I’ve dumbed down my maths skills so that I look like a highly intelligent kid, not a fucking genius!” Adam blinked, looking a bit shocked. Peter never swore, and he knew that if The Spine ever heard him use such language, he’d get a long lecture.

“I’ve been so careful to be just Peter Walter, kid from San Diego and not be Six, heir to Walter Robotics and all that entails. I just… I wanted to be normal. Just for a bit. Just until Dad handed over the company.” Peter sounded bitter,now; he could hear it in his own voice. “But no! A Peter Walter, normal? Ha. Pigs will fly before a Peter Walter is considered normal.” His shoulders slumped, and he ran a hand over his face as the bell for form time rang. Peter couldn’t face it; couldn’t face the whispers and the jibes. So, before Adam could respond to his little rant, he turned and darted away. There was only one place in a school that had any privacy and Peter headed straight there. He locked himself in a toilet cubicle and pulled his legs to his chest so that no one could see he was there.

Then he started to cry. His tears dripped silently down his face as he clung to his knees, desperate not to be found. He wanted to call the robots, to hear The Jon tell a stupid joke to try and make him smile. He wanted to hear The Spine tell him that it was okay to be upset and that he shouldn’t hide who he was. He wanted to hear Rabbit reassure him that they all loved him and that she would come beat up anyone who was being rude. But the robots were at the zoo again today, so they would be getting ready to go.

The door to the toilets banged open and Peter curled up tighter on the toilet seat.

“Peter, I know you’re in here.” It was Adam. “Look, I know you’re upset and I could never understand what you’re going through. I am just a normal kid from San Diego, not a genius with several robots to his name but I’m also your friend. And I want you to be happy. But right now, Petes, I’m not sure how to do that. You gotta help me.” Peter gave a slight sniffle and mumbled,

“I want to be alone.”

“No, you don’t. That’ll make you feel worse.” Peter opened his mouth to deny that, but he knew Adam was right. He sighed.

“I want to go back to being just Peter Walter.”

“Is it so terrible that people know? Some of them might actually think that your story is interesting. Normality is rather overrated. I mean, your family consists of robots who have written songs about falling in love, about heroes, about riding quesadillas, for God’s sake. I challenge you to find me someone who wouldn’t fall in love with The Jon’s antics.” That made Peter smile a little because it was true. The band were loved. He uncurled and moved to unlock the door, opening it to look up at Adam.

“You think it could be okay?” Adam nodded.

“And if it’s not, I’ll still stand by you. You’re my best friend, Peter. That isn’t going to change.” He stepped closer to the Walter and smiled reassuringly. “I’m here for you.” Peter, who wasn’t really one for human contact, threw his arms around his best friend. Maybe it would be alright. He wasn’t alone in facing sharp words and taunts. And maybe, he wouldn’t face as many as he expected. He may not be normal, but he wasn’t friendless.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Please Explain' from MK III


End file.
